Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

Plus, I don't know....all we need is Ike's younger brother or sister to come rolling through the Gulf and that place will be gone. This summer looks like the hurricanes might be back. We've been lucky for a few years.

The Santa Monica Pier (and Navy Pier in Chicago since many people bring that up too) are public piers run by non-profit organizations. The Pleasuer Pier is owned by a private business. You can't get on either of the other piers in Galveston without paying either.

The decision to have the $10 admission had to do with crowd control and safety since the pier is a limited space. They don't want people just hanging out taking up space and causing problems. And like I mentioned in my last post, if you don't plan on riding any of the rides, there really isn't anything to do. You can't walk along the edges of the pier along the water...they are lined with rides. The only area to walk is down the center.

But still, jason, $10 a pop when you factor in a large family is quite out of the question for a lot of people. They should at least let kids in free. As far as the rides; do you have to pay to ride them after you've paid the admission?

But still, jason, $10 a pop when you factor in a large family is quite out of the question for a lot of people. They should at least let kids in free. As far as the rides; do you have to pay to ride them after you've paid the admission?

Kids 2 and under are free...but still will have to pay for rides. If you pay the $10 admission you pay per ride from $4-$6 a ride. The have a all-day ride wristband available which includes admission for $21.99 for 48" and up (price for under 48" is lower). The price will be going up soon once they get all the rides open...probably closer to $30. The wristband is good all day. You can leave and come back as many times as you want during the day.

People really need to think of this as an amusement park as that is what they have set it up to be. You can't walk around Six Flags or Schlitterbahn or similiar places for free...you still pay full price even if you don't ride anything. The pier offers the $10 reduced fee for those that don't want to ride though, unlike most other amusement parks.

If you aren't going there to spend the day riding rides and play games...there really isn't anything to do.

If you aren't going there to spend the day riding rides and play games...there really isn't anything to do.

Let's reiterate that point. You are going to walk around and do what? I just don't get all the outrage.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.